Loving God: An Overview
Francis de Sales wrote his Treatise on the Love of God over the course of many busy years. In writing it, he had a very definite reader in mind. Philothea is "already devout" and, now called Theotimus, "desires to make progress in holy love," especially in the love of God. The Treatise is written to assist Theotimus in the realization of that desire (Treatise, "Author's Preface").
As such, it is an exhaustive treatment of the practice of the first commandment. It is not meant to be either theoretical or abstract but rather a very practical "how to" guide in loving God according to the expectations of the first commandment. Scripture commands us to love God above all things, with our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole mind and all our strength (Mk 12:30). How is God actually loved in so total a manner? To answer that question and to lead people to that love is the goal of this spiritual masterpiece.
Love of God will naturally lead to a concrete love of neighbor. Francis had hoped to write a similarly practical treatment on the love of neighbor but, as we know, a very challenging ministry and an untimely death prevented that. This spiritual classic, then, is best seen as the first volume of what was projected to have been a two volume spiritual guide on the practice of the double commandment.
The goal of this little reflection is to gain a better appreciation of Book 12 of the Treatise. To gain this appreciation, it will be helpful to situate it within the framework of the entire work. Thus, we begin with a brief overview of the Treatise on the Love of God.
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